What YA book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

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eastcoastgal

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Started Ally Carter's UNCOMMON CRIMINALS the other day; I've been waiting for this one sooo impatiently!
 

warofthesparks

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Attempted Divergent. Couldn't get past the first 100 pages. :Shrug:
 

cherita

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Read MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN & loved it. It's creepy and very well written.

Yay! As soon as I finish the adult books I'm reading, that's next up for me...

Just finished Darkness Becomes Her. I loved all the ideas going on (Mardi Gras, voodoo and myths, oh my!), but the spoiler on the very third page sapped all the mystery out of it for me ("foreshadowing" like that only works with myths people aren't all that familiar with, especially if you're going with Greek mythology), and the faster than insta-love "romance" was lame. Eh, maybe I'm just too picky.
 

Katallina

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I finished Wither. It was enjoyable enough that I had no problems getting through it. I think my biggest issue was that things happened behind, in front of and around Rhine rather then happening to her.

Now I'm moving on to read Heist Society. This should be fun.
 

Sage

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Started THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS by e. lockhart. I have another book out from the library and this one I bought so I could read anytime, but I really would prefer to read this, and I guess I'll just renew the library book.
 

adktd2bks

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I finished Wither. It was enjoyable enough that I had no problems getting through it. I think my biggest issue was that things happened behind, in front of and around Rhine rather then happening to her.

That and the very shaky world building and the climax that wasn't? :)
 

Katallina

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That and the very shaky world building and the climax that wasn't? :)

I knew the world building was crap going in. :D So I didn't even bother worrying about that.

You make a valid point about the non-existence of a climax. The closest thing to one is probably her good bye to Linden or her confrontation with Cecily, but both of those events -- big surprise -- actually have more impact on those characters then they actually have on Rhine.

There was no actual confrontation or true danger for Rhine to reach her ultimate goal. The resolution that let her get what she wants -- for now at least -- was passive at best and the actions of other characters rather then her own at worst.
 

adktd2bks

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I knew the world building was crap going in. :D So I didn't even bother worrying about that.

You make a valid point about the non-existence of a climax. The closest thing to one is probably her good bye to Linden or her confrontation with Cecily, but both of those events -- big surprise -- actually have more impact on those characters then they actually have on Rhine.

There was no actual confrontation or true danger for Rhine to reach her ultimate goal. The resolution that let her get what she wants -- for now at least -- was passive at best and the actions of other characters rather then her own at worst.

I really thought something was going to happen at the end - it was way too easy. As for the world building - if the story is really good I could care less (Across the Universe for instance), but when I'm not that engaged in the story or as you said when nothing happens to the MC, then I start to pick at everything and I get annoyed. :)
 

Katallina

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I really thought something was going to happen at the end - it was way too easy. As for the world building - if the story is really good I could care less (Across the Universe for instance), but when I'm not that engaged in the story or as you said when nothing happens to the MC, then I start to pick at everything and I get annoyed. :)

Fair enough. For me, I picked Wither up because the premise made me really angry. I was expecting to throw the book at the wall several times before I finished it. But DeStefano never really made good on any of the threats or dangers that her premise implied -- at least, not where Rhine was concerned.

I kept reading to see whether this would change. I ended up continuing to read because I found Linden very intriguing. By the end of the book I felt that it was 'alright' but that Linden had fully fascinated me.

I definitely agree she got off way too easy at the end, though. All the buildup about how awful the villain was seemed like a smoke and mirrors game when at the end she did not actually have any form of real confrontation -- not with actions or words -- with him.
 

adktd2bks

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Fair enough. For me, I picked Wither up because the premise made me really angry. I was expecting to throw the book at the wall several times before I finished it. But DeStefano never really made good on any of the threats or dangers that her premise implied -- at least, not where Rhine was concerned.

You should read The Chosen One by Carol Williams - then you'll get your need to throw a book against a wall satisfied. Not because it's bad, it's an AWESOME book, but the premise. :)
 

chocowrites

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I agree about Wither being too easy. Rhine has plot armor.

And, IMO, her LI should've died. That would've made the villain a lot more believable.
 

eastcoastgal

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Now I'm moving on to read Heist Society. This should be fun.

I have such a ridiculous weakness for that novel; I've designed an entire unit plan around it (with a few cross-curricular options outlined as well) just in case I ever get the chance to use it!
 

Katallina

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I agree about Wither being too easy. Rhine has plot armor.

And, IMO, her LI should've died. That would've made the villain a lot more believable.

Well, here is what I said about Rhine and Gabriel on GoodReads:

"We are just a servant and an unwilling bride who haven't been granted one moment of true freedom to explore how we feel about eachother." (Wither, pg. 352)

Yes, exactly. And this is why you have no chemistry. And that is why the romance between you two sucks. Linden needs a reality check, but if my choices were him or Gabriel? Definitely Linden all the way.

Will DeStefano go this route? I am not certain. Part of me is suspicious, though, because we technically meet Linden first. (It's him who is there when the girls are chosen, not Vaughn.)

I'll give the book that much ... for all it's flaws it has me curious enough that I intend to read the sequel.
 

KTC

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Invincible Summer By Hannah M

just finished today! Loved it like crazy! Here's my review I tried not to give anything away in the review. I was just so amazed by the relationship between the two brothers.
 

LadyA

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I needed a couple of books to take on my hols to France (depressing weather, so much for a suntan!) and I took, among others, AFTER and I KNOW IT'S OVER.

AFTER: I really liked it - i know it's had 'meh' reviews, but I really liked Tom and his friends, and it was creepy how something like that could happen to your school before you realise.

I KN0W IT'S 0VER: I didn't really like this one much. Nick, the MMC, was a really interesting character, and his relationships with girls, family and friends, plus his reaction to the massive news that Sasha (his ex-gf) was pregnant made him so real. I didn't like Sasha though, and the ending was a bit dissappointing.
 

adktd2bks

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I finished Entwined by Heather Dixon. So it's LONG, but I rather enjoyed it. It did seem a bit more middle grade than young adult to me for some reason. I think that's because it has a Little Women feel to it. Lots of sisters, dancing, corsets, gentlemen and mending socks. And magic. I won't say that it's on my top list of books for the year, but I don't feel like I wasted my time at all with it. If you like the aforementioned, you'd probably really enjoy it.
 

Momento Mori

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I'm half-way through HUNTING LILA by Sarah Alderson and I'm finding it heavy going. It's a 'people with superpowers' story but for me, it's bogged down by a cliched 'I fancy my brother's best friend but he'll never notice me' storyline and an MC who is, frankly, a ninny (so much so that she deliberately goes off to put herself into danger solely so that the plot can keep moving). Basically, there's nothing new here and the pace is too slow.

However, I will perserve as I've got an ARC of GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan to read next, which looks like a promising SF romance.

MM
 

Katallina

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Heist Society is not working for me. I can't put my finger on why. It's not that it's poorly written or anything... But I can't seem to get sucked in the way that I have with other books I've read this month. (Let me put it this way: I'm finally getting some pre-revision notes done on the latter half of Moon Dance. Yeah, that's not a good sign for anything I'm reading.)

Maybe I'm just read out for now, or I want to work on my book, or I'm just not in the mood for this? I think I'll take advantage of the desire to get some work done for a change. :tongue

I still have Divergent, Delirium, Perfect Chemistry and Nevermore waiting to be read as well. Plus I did a big order from Chapters (Canadian book chain, for those wondering) but it's taking *forever*... Definitely going to stick with Amazon after this. Too bad, too. I like using pre-paid cards.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Thought I'd update since I usually read pretty fast and right now I'm sorta stuck.
 

Winterturn

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I just finished You Against Me the other day. It's by Jenny Downham, who wrote Before I Die, which I read a few months ago and absolutely loved. (That novel was a true catharsis; I'm glad I didn't try to read it on the train, it would have been so embarrassing to cry so much in public.) You Against Me is very different but also really good. It's got alternating male and female 3rd person POV characters, both of whom I found really convincing. I just love Downham's writing.

I've also recently read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma which I didn't care for so much, but couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. The narrators' voices just didn't seem very authentic to me. They made a lot of observations that I couldn't quite believe were from the P.O.V. of teenagers. And although I suspected it wasn't going to end well, the ending felt contrived to me, rather than a realistic outcome given their pretty hopeless situation.
 

PollyAnna

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Finished the Demon's Lexicon Trilogy- unusual for me, a chronic non-finisher of SO many series. But this one is def. worth it.

Also read Finnikin of the Rock and loved it.

Also read White Cat but didn't love it.

Now reading Ripple, by Mandy Hubbard.
 
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